It’s a scenario none of us want to imagine, let alone live through. Trying to get home when a catastrophic bushfire is threatening your house and unable to contact your son, who lives with Downs Syndrome, at home with his carer and your dog.
Yet this is what Fran Elston, a long-term resident of Winmalee experienced on October 17, 2013.
In a powerful new documentary, Fire Stories: Living with Risk, Ms Elston, along with several other residents, tells the extraordinary story of her experiences on that day and in the years afterwards, as her family and community recovered.
Resilience is one of the key themes explored in the film and the strength and courage displayed by these residents as they rebuild their lives after the fires is inspiring to see.
Fire Stories: Living with Risk has been produced by the Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute with the support of the Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Blue Mountains City Council.
The documentary is free for the public to view and will screen over four sessions on Saturday, August 25 at the Blue Mountains Theatre and Community Hub in Springwood.
Residents of Winmalee, Yellow Rock and Springwood are invited to attend a special screening of the film at 12noon on Saturday, August 25.
Tickets can be booked online via eventbrite.com.au (search for Fire Stories: Living with Risk).
